Article excerpt

Byline: David Sparkes

THE girl from Gladstone who went all the way to the European Parliament in Brussels Co that's Lesley Brydon.

Ms Brydon lives in Sydney where she works in her role as CEO of Painaustralia, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to research on managing chronic pain. Earlier this month, she and her colleague Professor Michael Cousins were invited to present Painaustralia's National Pain Strategy to the European Chapters of the IASP at the European Parliament.

C[pounds sterling]I tell you what, sitting there in that vast auditorium, sitting at the desk with the microphone and the translator, and as you speak it is translated instantly into 16 languages, that it is a very daunting experience,C[yen] she told The Observer.

Chronic pain is defined as pain that occurs daily for more than three months and Ms Brydon says the condition is yet to be fully recognised. C[pounds sterling]Chronic pain is probably the most neglected healthcare area in the world,C[yen] said Ms Brydon. C[pounds sterling]And with our population getting older, the problem will only get bigger.

C[pounds sterling]Some of the most forward-thinking research is being done in Australia,C[yen] she said. C[pounds sterling]It is uncommon for non-Europeans to be invited to address the European Charters, so it was great that we created something the rest of the world can take notice of. …